Line spacer



L. P. CROSMAN June 10, 1941.

LINE SPACER Filed June 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR 01": 17 P 61 057718 n mzwsss I worm L. P. CROSMAN LINE SPACER F1166 June 5, 1940 June 10, 1941.

ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ('flo 15 17 mrmsss I 5.

Lolw u 5% ATTORNEY ?atented June 210, 1941 LINE SPACER Loring Pickering Crosman,

Maplewood, N. J., as-

signor to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Orange, N. .L, a. corporation of Delaware Application June 5,1940, Serial No. 338,939

5 Claims.

The invention has relation to a line spacer designed for use in a rotary platen printing machine, and particularly useful in effecting automatic line spacing in a listing adding machine. Ihe invention is designed to provide for a quiet, light action and is capable of effecting a movement of the platen of a considerable extent, where wide spacing is desired.

The invention consists in. the novel construc tion and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of the platen carriage of a listing adding machine, with the associated line spacing mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a detail right side elevation, with parts broken away, showing the detent and shifting pawl and associated parts, shown in normal position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts shown during the idle stroke of a line spacing operation.

4 is a similar view with the parts shown in the position assumed when the idle movement is stopped by the adjustable line determining element.

Fig. 5 is a similar view with the parts shown during the active stroke of the line spacing operation.

In these drawings the invention is shown as applied to a listing adding machine such as that disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,946,572, issued on February 13, 1934, to Loring P. Crosman.

The line spacing is effected upon movement of a shaft lE-i (Fig. i and shown in Patent No. 1,946,572, Figs. 12 and 21), this shaft being reciprocated during the printing cycle of the machine, in known manner. A cam I is fast on shaft 15% and operates upon a cam follower having connection with a rearwardly extending arm l2 on which is mounted an anti-friction roller, these parts being mounted in the stationary framing of the machine. A bail |3 is mounted in the framing M of the platen carriage, and is held in contact w'th the roller of arm |2, an arm l being fast with bail I3 and having at its upper end link connection IS with the parts of the line spacing mechanism supported from the platen shaft Cam follower H is held against cam H) by a spring |8, and reciprocation of cam It will cause reciprocatory movement of the parts M, l2, l3, l5 and it, to effect a line spacing rotation of the platen.

, ing these movements of the Fast on the platen shaft is a toothed locator wheel l9 (Figs. 2-5), the teeth of which are normally engaged by an anti-friction roller 2|) mounted on a pawl 2|. Pawl 2| is pivotally connected at 22'with an intermediate arm 23, said arm having pivotal connection at 24 with a supporting arm 25, loosely mounted on platen shaft H. In the normal position of the parts, illustrated in Fig. 2, the spindle of anti-friction roller 20 is engaged between the opposite I, movement of pawl 2| about point 22 when the platen and locator wheel |9 are rotated during the feeding and election. of record sheets. Durplaten intermediate arm 23 will yield against the tension of a spring 28, pivoting about point 24, allowing a ratcheting movement of the pawl over the teeth of wheel l9. In this normal position of the parts, therefore, arm 23 and pawl 2| serve as a spring detent or locator for the platen.

The line spacing link |6 is connected with pawl 2| by means of a flexible link 2s, a plate 30, pivotally supported upon shaft and a link 3|, the latter having a lost motion pin and slot connection with plate 30 and pivotal crank connection with pawl 2|. The lost motion connection between plate 30 and link 3| is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of a spring 32, said spring also tending to rock pawl 2| clockwise (as viewed in Figs.-2-5) about point 22.

The firststroke of the line spacing operation will be idle, serving to position the pawl 2| at a point around wheel l9 distant from the normal |2, |3, l5 and I6, will move a given fixed distance, the difierent line spaces being provided for by limiting the idle movement of the arms 23, 25 and pawl 2|.

At the beginning of the movement, cam l0 moving clockwise around shaft I64 (as seen in Fig. 1), follower after rising over the high Will be moved clockwise about its pivot by the action of spring I8, allow- I 4. Thus,

spaced position.

20 and latch 26 will be. moved in opposite directions, the pawl will be rapidly freed from the latch, and stud 36 (of the pivotal connection between link 3| and pawl 2|) will be brought in contact with a shoulder of intermediate arm 23, as seen in Fig. 3, the arms 23 and 25 and pawl 2| being moved as a unit about the platen shaft ll to the desired line space determining position. At this point, arm 25 will contact with a shoulder of a stop plate 31 (Fig. 4) mounted for pivotal movement about shaft l1 and held in any one of a plurality of selected positions by means of a click pawl 38, pivoted upon the framing M. In Fig. 4, plate 31 is shown as adjusted to position, wherein no line spacing will occur, since pawl 2| will drop back to the same notch of the wheel l9 from which it has been displaced. It will be obvious, however, that by adjustment of stop plate 31, so that the indicating edge 39 thereof will come opposite any of the designations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, the movement of pawl 2| will be extended and line spacing of different extent may be effected.

Friction means are provided for holding the roller 20 of pawl 2| away from the teeth of wheel l9 during the idle movement of the parts, this means consisting of a friction disk 40, supported upon shaft connected with framing H by a tie rod 4| and lying in the plane of intermediate arm 23. During the idle movement of the parts, spring 28 will hold intermediate arm 23 against friction disk 40, thus creating resistance to the movement of arm 25 about shaft l1, and insuring that the pressure of link 3| will rotate pawl 2| about point 22, lifting roller 20 away from the teeth of wheel I! and efiecting contact of stud 36 with the shoulder of arm 23.

Should arm 25 be arrested before cam follower II has dropped to the low point of cam I0, plate will be brought to rest with the arms 23, 25, etc., while the continued movement of bail I3 and arm l5, under momentum, will be allowed by a buckling of the link connections I6, 29.

At the end of the idle stroke of the parts, the direction of movement of shaft I64 will be reversed and cam ||l will move follower II and arm |2 counter-clockwise, giving a positive clockwise movement to bail l3 and arm I5. Thus, through links l6 and 29, plate 30 and link 3| will rock pawl 2| about point 22, this rocking movement being assisted by the frictional contact of arm 23 with plate 4|], until the roller 20 engages between the teeth of wheel l9, whereupon the rocking movement of pawl 2| will lift arm 23 free of the friction disk 40, and the stud 36 will come in contact with a second shoulder of intermediate arm 23 (Fig. 5), preventing further lifting of said arm due to the ratcheting tendency of teeth of wheel l9 and providing that continued movement of link 3| will rotate arms 23 and 25 and pawl 2| as a unit back to their normal position, the pawl carrying therewith locator wheel l9 and the platen into the line As the pawl arrives in normal position, the spindle of roller 20 will engage the cam face of latch 26, riding over the latching tooth, and resuming the position illustrated in Fig. 2. During this action latch 26 serves as a stop for the parts carried by arm 25, so that the tension on link 3| will be maintained to prevent overthrow of the platen.

At the end of the stroke of cam Ill, follower II will drop from the high point 33 of the cam, allowing the lost motion connection between parts 30 and 3| to resume the position illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein lifting of intermediate arm 23 will be permitted during the paper feed movement of the platen.

I claim:

1. A line spacer for a rotary platen printing machine having a frame,a platen shaft supported thereon, and a toothed locator wheel fast on said shaft; comprising a supporting arm loose on the platen shaft, a yieldably positioned intermediate arm pivoted thereto, a spring urged pawl pivoted on the intermediate arm, adapted to engage between the teeth of the locator wheel and having a stud engageable with the intermediate arm, a latch supported on the platen frame and normally engaging the pawl to obstruct pivotal movement thereof, said pawl in the rotation of the platen operating to lift the intermediate arm and to ratchet over the teeth of the locator wheel, and a reciprocatory member movable in one direction to release said pawl from said latch and oscillate said arms and the pawl about the platen shaft, said pawl in one direction of movement operating to escape from said latch, to engage the stud thereof with a portion of the intermediate arm and from the teeth of the locator wheel and said member acting in the opposite direction of movement to force the pawl between the teeth of the locator wheel, to engage the stud of said pawl with another portion of the intermediate arm and to rotate .the pawl, the arms, the locator wheel and the platen as a unit to latched position.

2. A line spacer for a rotary platen printing machine having a frame, a platen shaft supported thereon, and a toothed locator wheel fast on said shaft; comprising a supporting arm loose on the platen shaft, a yieldably positioned intermediate arm pivoted thereto, a spring urged pawl pivoted on the intermediate arm, adapted to engage between the teeth of the locator wheel and having a stud engageable with the intermediate arm, a latch supported on the platen frame and normally engaging the pawl to obstruct pivotal movement thereof, said pawl in the rotation of the platen operating to lift the intermediate arm and to ratchet over the teeth of the locator wheel, and a reciprocatory member having crank connection with the pawl, operable in one direction of movement to rotate the pawl free of the latch, to engage the stud of said pawl with a portion of the intermediate arm and to move the pawl, with the intermediate and supporting arms, idly past the teeth of the locator wheel, and in the opposite direction of movement to force the pawl between the teeth of the locator wheel, to engage the stud of said pawl with another portion of the intermediate arm and to rotate the pawl, the arms, the 10- cator wheel and the platen as a unit to latched position.

3. A line spacer for a rotary platen printing I arms, idly past the teeth of the locator wheel,-

and upon movement in the reverse direction to stud of said pawl.

4. A line spacer for a rotary platen printing machine having a frame, a platen shaft supported thereon, and a toothed locator wheel fast engageable with the intermediate arm, a reciprocatory device having a crank' connection with the pawl and a flexible link portion, a cam follower having operative connection with said device, and an oscillating cam adapted upon operation in one direction to allow the spring pressed follower to move the said device in one direction to engage the stud of said of a. plurality of intermediate points relative to the reciprocation of said device.

5. A line spacer for a. rotary platen printing machine having a frame,

a reciprocatory with the pawl,

LORING PICKERING CROSMAN 

